Buying Guide

Celery

This vegetable belongs to the Umbelliferae family and is typical of the Mediterranean basin. In ancient Greece it was considered a medicine of such importance as to be considered sacred and represented in coins. The ancient Sicilian town of Selinunte is devoted to celery. In the Odyssey it is said […]

 

Artichokes

When you purchase artichokes they should not have dark spots and you can recognize their freshness by touching them. They should be tight and the artichoke that should be firm. Soft tissues are more bitter and stringy.  

 

Radicchio di Treviso

The story of this vegetable ties together the garden with the yard. Between 1860 and 1870, a garden expert was called to “Villa Palazzi” (now Taverna) in the municipality of Dosson to build an English garden. During the construction of the garden, the Belgian Van Den Borre experimented with the […]

 

Wines to Accompany the Christmas Menu

For the month of December I thought it would be useful to give some advice on wines to accompany the menu that I propose for Christmas. My husband and I decided not to mention the names of wineries. This blog is also read in the U.S., and we are not […]

 

Cavolo Nero

I discovered this variety of cabbage for the first time in Poggio Capanne (Saturnia) in Tuscany at trattoria “Bianchina”. The crostini with cavolo nero were a real treat. Cavolo nero is perhaps one of the oldest varieties of cabbage, now mainly grown in Tuscany. A few years ago it became […]

 

Pumpkins

Buying pumpkins and cooking them means you are contributing to your health. This vegetable is low in calories (only 15 per 100 grams) with considerable satiating power. It is rich in potassium, calcium, phosphorus, and fiber and like all orange vegetables and fruits, pumpkins have moderate amounts of vitamin A […]

 

What to have in Your Pantry

To cook well in a balanced way it’s necessary to have good organization and accessibility to your ingredients. If you haven’t picked up this skill yet, let me suggest a few tips so you always have what you need in the house, allowing you to manage unexpected guests. First, you […]